Nut system



L. C. H. JUY

NUT SYSTEM May 11, 1954 Filed Sept. 8, 1950 Patented May 11, 1954 UNlTED STATE;

QE'FIQE Claims priority, application France September 12, 1949 2 Claims.

In the systems proposed for rapidly fastening hubs of bicycles and the like vehicles through the agency of cams, slopes or eccentrically mounted parts, there are incorporated parts that are diflicult to machine by reason of the very presence of sloping surfaces, guiding members or elongated openings adapted to further the action of the tractional stresses as near possible the axis of the spindle to be actuated.

My invention has for its object to provide an arrangement where the tractional stresses are applied axially oi the system the parts are easy to machine aand consequently cheap to manufacture while ensuring a gradual fastening oi the parts. This result is achieved in accordance with, the invention through the agency of a control lever carrying a disc-shaped member the outer surface of which is adapted to operate as a clamping surface and that is provided with an eccentric transversal opening, opening can rying the pivotal spindle of the lever that is centrally carried between the sides of a yoke housed. inside a clamping head whereby pivoting moveruent of the lever and eceentrically apertured disc produces a gradual shifting hetween the surface of the lever spindle bearing against the inner periphery of the opening in the disc and a key bearing against the outer surface of the disc and matching the outline of periphery, so that said key .inove slidingly inside the strap to urge the fastening head against a lug on the bicycle frame as provided through projections on the key adapted against a corresponding hearing on said head W ile conversely and at the time, a tractional stress is exerted by the lever spindle on the yoke rigid with a longitudinal spindle passing through the hub, latter. spindle carrying at its other as known per .ee, an adjustable support defining the position for which the clamping action is exerted. This provides for an efficient clamping without any lack of circularity of the opening or any machining of complicated sloping, or guiding parts being required.

A preferred embodiment, that is not to be considered as limiting by any means the scope of my invention as defined in accompanying claims, is illustrated in accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a View of my improved nut system in its operative position and Fig. la is a similar view of this system in its released position;

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate respectively the yoke in front View and the whole system in vertical sectional view;

Figs. 4 and 5 are elevational views respectively 2 of the lever and associated eceentrically apertured disc and of the key forming part of the system.

in said drawings, there is shown a clamping lever l controlling a 2 rigid therewith and provided eccentrically with an opening at 3. As illustrated, the lever and disc form a unitary mean or as more clearly apparent from inspe tion of Fig. l. Obviously the two parts may be suitably rnbled together for the .3 his purpose. Preferably and as illustrated the outer surface of the disc forms a cylindrical surface and inside its eccentric opening it is mounted a spindle the diameter of which is clearly smaller than that of the opening the disc 2. Said disc in held vertically between the arms or" an upstanding e l the spindle 5 and revolve in contact with the spindle i so that the aperture therein may assume for an angul r shifting of the disc through 180 two positions that are symmetrical with reference to horizontal plane clearly illustrated Fig. l and Fig. i The outer cylindrical s trace of the disc 2 n tches the inner part-cylindrical or arcuate recess formed in the upper surface of the key 6 which is ale slidably ti d inside the vertical slideway formed by the :vo of the yoke i as shown in Fig. 3. By reason of the matching of the vertical cooperating surfaces or" the disc 2 E, the geometrical axis of the disc 2 is constrained to remain in vertical alignment with the rneuial section of the arrangement, which medial section coincides with the cross section of 3. This explains the symmetric location o the spindle opening 33 for two extreme p0 ions illustrated in 1 and 1a for which its axis is in vertical register with the geometrical axis of the Z.

The spindle is inside two aligned recesses ii to mod in the yoke "i so that the rocking of the lever i constrains said vertically guided key S to be shifted hetweeen a lower position engaging shou-ders at the lower end of the adapted to ide vertically over the yoke l, and an upper position illustrated. in Fig. 1a for which said head 5 is released. The spindle a is held inside the yoke through the openings 8 with friction or again with a slight clearance and the pressure exerted through the lever l is transmitted through the front and rear ends a and id of the key 6 to the above mentioned shoulders of the head 5 which latter is thus constrained for the position on Fig. 1 to engage the securing lug H, on the bicycle hub.

The operation of the arrangement is as follows:

The lever I being caused to rock together with the disc 2, the opening 3 in the latter bears against the lower side of the spindle 4 while the cylindrical surface of the disc 2 remains in contact with the arcuate recess in the key 6 and urges after the manner of a wedge said key downwardly with reference to the system including the spindle 4, the yoke l and the spindle l2 that is screwed into it whereby a relative movement is ensured between said spindle l2 and the head 5 depressed by the key 6. The reverse movement releases the head 5 with reference to the lug H, and consequently to the hub carried by said lug (Fig. 1a).

The spindle l2 passes through the hollow axial portion of the hub in accordance with the usual standards and it ends with a thread or any other known or suitable stopping means engaging a stop forming an adjustment of the length of stroke and defining consequently the moment at which the clamping action is produced. This latter arrangement, that is known per se and which requires therefore no special description, is not illustrated.

In Figs. 2 and 3 it 2 ill be noticed that the key 6 is executed in a manner such that it may operate in the centering of the member 2 through its incurved or V-shaped configuration so as to return the symmetrical location of the member 2 with reference to the head. 5 and yoke l during the clamping operation and to produce the tractional stress exactly in the direction of the axis of the yoke l and consequently of the spindle 12. Obviously, if the member 2 is held through any other known means, the key 6 may be provided with a contacting surface of smaller area that is however, always aligned with the axis of the arrangement at point where the tractional action is a maximum.

On the other hand, the fact that the periph-.

cries of parts 2 and 3 do not have the same center produces the desired clamping action. At the b ginning of the movement, the angular shifting of the handle 9 produces a longitudinal shifting of the head 5 that is comparatively rapid and of a somewhat considerable amplitude, say e. g. for a movement of the lever l through 90.

Then after, the further movement of the lever i, say again through 90, provides only a very small longitudinal movement of the head 5 up to the moment where the fastening i at a maximum, i. e. up to the point (Fig. 1) where the maximum distance exists between the respective centers of the peripheries 2 and 3. If the force exerted on the lever i is supposed to be a constant one, the clamping pressures will, according to known mechanical principles, increase in the reverse ratio with reference to the path followed and consequently at the end of the clamping, a maximum pressure will be obtained for securing the hub considered.

Obviously and as apparent from the preceding disclosure, my invention is by no means limited to the above embodiments and it includes all modifications thereof falling within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. A nut system for urging two parts into contact, comprising: a yoke having two elongated arms respectively disposed on either side of a relatively narrow media-l gap, said yoke, said arms and said gap having a common plane of symmetry median of said gap; rigid and removable connecting means between the bottom of said yoke and one of said parts, said connecting means having an axis of symmetry located in said plane of symmetry; an outer member slidably disposed around said yoke to slide in a direction parallel to said plane of symmetry and adapted to frictionally engage the second of said parts; a spindle extending across the upper portion of said arms at right angles to said plane of symmetry; a movable cam disc supported by said spindle, disposed between said arms and rotatable around said spindle; said cam disk having a cylindrical periphery and an eccentric bore; said spindle passing through said bore, the

diameter of said bore being greater than that of said spindle; a key niovably fitted in said gap between said disc and the bottom of said yoke, said key being slidable in said gap in directions parallel to said plane of symmetry, and having an upper indented arcuate surface complementary to and engaging the cylindrical periphery of said disc; said key having an axis of symmetry constantly in said plane of symmetry and constantly coaxial with the axis of symmetry of said connecting means; cooperating surfaces located respectively in the lower inner portion of said outer member and at the opposite ends of the lower face of said key; and setting lever means rigidly connected with said disc and disposed along said plane of symmetry.

2. A nut system as claimed in claim 1, in which said yoke arms have inner plane surfaces parallel to said plane of symmetry, said upper indented arcuate surface of said key having a radius equal to the radius of the periphery of said disc; and in which said cooperating surfaces comprise inwardly directed shoulders on said outer member and. downwardly extending projections on said key, said shoulders and said projections being in vertical registry with each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 227,856 Stoddard May 18, 1880 256,026 Morden Apr. 4, 1882 408,364 Traut Aug. 6, 1889 716,288 Schneider Dec. 16, 1902 1,297,539 Bull Mar. 18, 1919 2,405,251 Glaze Aug. 6, 1946 2,464,133 Herbert Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 431,004 Italy Feb. 23, 1948 

